Decolonizing Institutional Practices: Supporting Aboriginal College Student Success

The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. As a result, it is essential to increase Aboriginal participation in post-secondary studies and persistence to completion. To accomplish these goals, it is necessary to rethink how post-secondary institutions support Aboriginal students and to make them feel welcome and that they belong. This dissertation takes an in-depth look at the experiences of Aboriginal students at a northern Ontario college. It examines the challenges faced by students as they prepare for and complete their studies. It identifies the significance of cultural safety and support in overcoming feelings of loneliness and isolation, and explores the role of family and community encouragement in helping students persist to graduation. It also discusses the role of faculty relationships and the need for institutional commitment in creating an environment that acknowledges and includes Aboriginal worldviews, traditions and cultures. This qualitative study explores the experiences of seventeen students. The outcomes of the study provides guidance to post-secondary institutions in three key areas: promising practices to improve Aboriginal student outcomes; successful approaches to conducting culturally intelligent research; and the significance of Indigenizing the college through generative discussion with individuals local to the institution. The dissertation suggests the use of generative discussion to Indigenize an institution has great potential as a transformative change tool.